The Defiant One Extension
by Starzangel
Summary: A tag to 'The Defiant One'. There's something that McKay can't avoid telling Sheppard for much longer. Oneshot


Disclaimer: _Stargate: Atlantis_ isn't mine. But this humble attempt at basing something on it is.

**Spoilers:** Only for 'The Defiant One'.

**A/N:** This is my first Atlantis fic. I've started off with an episode tag to see how I go.

* * *

_Stargate: Atlantis_

**The Defiant One**

**-- Extension **

by

Starzangel

* * *

"You ok?" McKay watched with concern as the injured major eased himself down to the sand a short distance away. 

"Just get the damn shield down so we can go home," Sheppard told him, his eyes keeping a sharp lookout over the surrounding dunes.

"I'm on it, I'm on it…" Turning back to the puddle jumper, he continued with his attempts to overcome the Wraith's tampering with the access codes and force field controls using his remote.

Sheppard's voice broke the quiet a little while later. "McKay, you got any water left?"

"What? Water?" McKay looked confused by the request for a moment. "Oh. No. I left mine with…inside." His face had darkened as he remembered. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." John shut his eyes and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"You sure you're alright?" McKay's voice was laden with worry again.

"I will be." The major dropped his hands and looked up. "How's that shield coming?"

"Along. Give me a few more minutes." He turned back to his work.

Sheppard squinted up at the clear blue sky. "Ford and Teyla should be touching down with Jumper Two soon."

McKay sighed. "I can't work with you twittering in my ear," he snapped. "If you want this shield down, Major, you're going to have to stop talking." He suddenly went pale. "Wait. No, don't stop talking. Talking is good. Keep talking."

"Rodney…?" Sheppard looked at him strangely.

McKay had turned his back to the puddle jumper. "So, what made you join the Air Force?"

The major frowned at him. "Rodney? The shield?"

Rodney blinked. "Right, the shield, right. On it."

A couple of minutes later, a strong wind whipped the sand up into the air. Sheppard staggered to his feet and he and McKay sheltered their eyes as they watched the rescuing puddle jumper land. The rear hatch opened and Ford, Teyla, Markham and Parlins stepped down and approached them.

"Major, you're injured," Teyla remarked, caring softening her features.

"I'll live." Sheppard reassured her with a grin.

Ford was glancing around. "Where are Gaul and Abrams?"

"Their bodies are back in the Wraith ship," Sheppard replied. "Take Markham and Parlins and collect them. They deserve a decent burial back on Atlantis."

"Yes, sir. Leave it to me."

"Markham, take a scanner with you," the major added. "Just in case."

The sergeant nodded, grimly. Then Ford swiftly led the way back to Jumper Two for the necessary equipment.

Sheppard sank back down onto the sand, wincing as he did so.

"Teyla, you got water?"

"I will get some from the jumper."

As the Athosian went to get him a drink, Sheppard's gaze fell on McKay and found the scientist staring numbly at the men heading for the Wraith ship.

"Shield?" he prompted.

"Yes, yes." McKay irritably turned back to the puddle jumper.

Teyla shortly returned and handed a canteen to the major.

"Thanks." He gratefully unscrewed the lid and lifted it to his lips.

"Let me see your arm."

John cooperatively kept it still as Teyla unwound the blood-soaked bandage. She opened up the first aid kit she had fetched from the jumper along with the canteen and treated the bleeding gunshot wound.

"Do you have any other injuries, Major?"

"Cracked a few ribs."

She helped him undo his vest and pull up his t-shirt. Her fingers carefully prodded the bruising that was starting to appear down his side and he failed to stop the pain from showing on his face.

"It does not appear too serious," she assured him, letting him pull his top back down. "You need only rest. But let me know if you have trouble breathing."

"Will do," he promised, smiling appreciatively at her.

She handed him some painkillers, which he washed down with water.

_"Major, this is Ford."_ The lieutenant's voice came over the radio.

"What's the problem, Lieutenant?" Sheppard asked, pushing down the talk button.

_"It's not a problem exactly…"_

"Spit it out, Ford."

_"There's something odd about Dr Gaul's body…"_

The major sighed, tiredly. "He died a little differently."

_"You could say that, sir." _

"I'm sure Beckett will want to perform a postmortem. He will be able to explain everything better."

_"Yes, sir." _

Sheppard took his hand off his radio and noticed McKay staring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing." The scientist quickly turned away again.

The major frowned and was about to say something when the shield flashed blue and collapsed.

"At last," he breathed, accepting Teyla's help to get to his feet.

They followed McKay up the ramp, as the scientist looked around at the ripped open panels, dangling wires and mixed up crystals in anguish.

"What a mess! What on earth was he trying to do in here!" he cried, waving his arms in frustration.

"Hotwire the jumper?" Sheppard supplied, unhelpfully.

"Well, yes, of course. But, really, did he have to pull out every circuit?" McKay's expression was pained.

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course."

"Then get on with it."

* * *

"The bodies are stowed in Jumper Two, sir. We found Dr Gaul's camcorder," Ford said, as he handed it to Sheppard upon his return. "Looks like it might have some good intel on it." 

"Good work, Lieutenant."

"There," McKay announced, as he slipped the last crystal into place and the lights came on in the jumper and its engines began to hum.

"Good as new?" Sheppard asked, heading for the cockpit.

"Almost. It'll be able to get us home, but I'd best stay with this jumper in case something goes wrong."

"Agreed. In which case, I'm in this one, too – I'm not letting you fly without me to keep an eye on you."

"I got us here in one piece, didn't I?" McKay protested.

"Eventually."

"We'll join you," Ford said, gesturing to himself and Teyla. "Markham and Parlins can take care of Jumper Two."

"Ok," Sheppard agreed. "Now that's sorted, let's get this show on the road."

* * *

"Are we not going in circles?" Teyla asked, looking out into space through the window in front of her. 

"Don't be ridiculous," McKay admonished from the pilot seat.

"I am sure we have been past this planet before," she insisted, frowning at the green-orange sphere alongside them.

"Of course we haven't," McKay insisted. "Look." He mentally called up an image of their flight trail. "See, we… Oh."

"We're going in circles," Ford said.

The irrefutable holographic display vanished.

"Your mind keeps going back to the planet," Sheppard explained, from the rear of the jumper where he lay on the seats propped up on his elbows. "McKay, you've got to focus."

"Sorry."

"It's ok," Sheppard replied, getting to his feet and coming into the cockpit. "Here, I'll take over for a bit. Go lay down and clear your head."

"Major, no. You need rest," McKay insisted, glancing back at him. "I…I'll be fine. I'm focused."

Sheppard leant against the back of Ford's chair and watched McKay's progress. Five minutes later, he called the flight trail back up. McKay looked annoyed and insulted for a moment, but then his face fell as he saw what the major had suspected. The puddle jumper was circling again.

"Ok. McKay, that's it," Sheppard told him, firmly. "I'm flying."

"You said I could drive home," McKay whined.

"Yes, _home_. Not in circles." Sheppard moved towards the pilot seat. "Get some sleep."

McKay reluctantly relinquished the controls and headed for the rear of the jumper. "Easy for you to say. You don't have…" His muttering broke off.

"What?" Sheppard demanded, looking around at him from the pilot seat. "McKay. I don't have what?"

McKay hovered in the cockpit's doorway. "Major, there's…there's something you should know."

"Yes?"

"About Gaul…he… Never mind." He turned to leave.

"McKay, I'm exhausted and I ache just about everywhere. I don't need this." Sheppard's stern voice stopped the scientist in his tracks. "What do I need to know about Gaul?"

McKay swallowed and turned around to face him. "He killed himself."

"What?" Sheppard stared in confusion. "I think you'll find the Wraith sapping the life out of him did that."

"Pistol. 9mil. Right temple. Point blank," Rodney deadpanned.

"What!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, when I found his body, sir," Ford supplied.

"Lieutenant, finding Gaul with his head blown away and a gun in his hand is not '_odd_'," Sheppard told him, crossly.

"Sorry, sir," the lieutenant apologised, sheepishly. "I didn't know how to say it, and I thought you knew."

"It doesn't matter. I know now." Sheppard sighed as he calmed down a little. "McKay, how did this happen? Weren't you with him?"

"You…you told me to put the gun in his hand! I was just doing what you said!" McKay cried.

"Yes, to protect himself, not blow his brains out," Sheppard said, exasperated. "McKay, explain and explain quickly."

"I heard something, maybe an explosion," McKay began, his words coming quick and upset. "I thought you were in trouble, and wanted to help. But Gaul couldn't move. He was getting worse, not better, though I wouldn't admit it. He knew I wouldn't leave him. I turned away, thinking, not listening, and then I heard the gun go off and I turned around and…he'd…it…"

"Ok, Rodney." Sheppard's tone was now calm. "It's ok. It wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have turned my back on him. He'd been talking about dying and I should have known. I…"

"Rodney, don't blame yourself. There's nothing you could have done," Sheppard said, firm but gentle. "Gaul knew he wasn't going to make it and made a decision. A decision that saved my life."

"He told me to save the day, but it was he that really did that," Rodney realised.

"Yes, I suppose it was. But you helped. One man can't take down a Wraith."

"Ah, so you've learnt that now?" McKay quirked an amused eyebrow at him.

"I was doing pretty well for a while there," Sheppard defended.

"From what I recall, the Wraith shot you and then you nearly blew yourself up."

"We could do with some more of those Wraith grenades..." Sheppard mused.

"Wraith grenades? That was what the explosions were?" McKay asked.

"Yeah. Remember those egg-shaped devices we found on the dead Wraith? Nice big bang. Not that much more powerful than our own, but their explosive or mechanism might have been useful to us."

"Hmm. I would have liked to be able to take a look at one. Shame you used them both."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Sheppard frowned at him, before turning to face forwards to concentrate on flying the ship.

It was soon clear to all of them that the major was quickly becoming drained and in discomfort. As he let go of the controls to stretch out his stiffening injured left arm, McKay stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"John, let me drive. I can do it."

Sheppard considered for a moment. "Alright," he finally replied. "But no more circles. Save the scenic route for another day." He headed back to the seats in the rear of the jumper, an arm wrapped around his ribs. "Fifteen hours is long enough already."

"Got it."

Teyla went into the back as well. She picked up the bottle of tylenol and canteen, and brought them over to Sheppard.

"Major. Here."

He accepted them gratefully. "Thanks."

* * *

"How's McKay doing?" Sheppard asked, as Ford came into the rear of the jumper. 

"Fine. We should be home in around nine hours," the lieutenant said, sitting on the end of the row of seats the major lay on.

"Good."

"How about you, sir? How are you doing?"

"Me? I could do with something stronger than tylenol, but I'll cope." Sheppard rose up onto his elbows. "I've been pondering something, Lieutenant. How did you manage to get to the planet so quickly?"

"Dr Weir had a bout of intuition and sent us out after you, just in case."

Sheppard raised his eyebrows. "Lucky she did."

"Yes, sir," Ford agreed.

"Hopefully she'll have more of those."

"Hopefully she won't need to."

"Now, that is a little too optimistic, Lieutenant," Sheppard cautioned.

"My grandmother always says too much optimism is better than too much pessimism."

"No offence to the good woman, but she hasn't met the Wraith."

"Hopefully she never will," Ford said, quietly.

"She won't," Sheppard told him, resolutely.

"What you were just saying about optimism, sir…"

"Don't go there, Lieutenant."

"No, sir. Sorry, sir."

After a moment, amusement twinkled in Sheppard's eyes. "Y'know, maybe we should get Elizabeth a crystal ball." He grinned playfully. "I wonder when her birthday is…"

_Fin _


End file.
